New Redmi K90 Pro Max goes global shortly after Chinese launch via import

Xiaomi has just released the Redmi K90 series in China, and among the new phones is the Redmi K90 Pro Max. This Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flagship phone borrows many aspects from Xiaomi's 17 Pro Max. Shortly after the Chinese launch, the device became available to global buyers via import through Giztop.

In the store, the newly launched Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 flagship phone starts at $699, which is for the base configuration with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. The top-end option, on the other hand, goes for $949, and this import price is for the variant with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage.

To compare, in China, the Redmi K90 Pro Max with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage goes for CNY 3,999, around $561. As for the top-end config, it launched with a price tag of CNY 5,299, about $743. So, the import prices on Giztop aren't bad, but interested buyers should keep some drawbacks in mind.

For example, imported Chinese phones come with the Chinese firmware, and while Xiaomi's HyperOS has support for multiple languages, there can be some pre-installed apps that are for China. These apps will be nothing but bloatware for the global market.

Many of the features that usually work on international phones may not work on the imported smartphone as well. Android Auto, for example, is known not to function out of the box on imported Chinese phones. The warranty is another important consideration, as Giztop's policy may seem decent, but it's not the same as the official warranty.

As for the phone itself, the Redmi K90 Pro Max comes with the same display as the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max. It even has the same primary and ultrawide cameras on the back. The third camera is a 5x telephoto, and per recently shared samples, it seems to be great for photography.

Another big highlight of the K90 Pro Max is the 2.1 stereo sound setup that's tuned by Bose. The phone even comes with a large-sized 7,560 mAh battery with support for 100 W fast charging (145 W Baseus 20K power bank curr. $62.98 on Amazon). It's expected to officially launch in the global market as the Poco F8 Ultra, and you can learn more about the Redmi flagship phone from our launch coverage.